Two Monthaversary!

Miriam Ruth is already two months old and I already notice a vast difference in how well I have documented her little life compared to Nathan. Poor girl.

Other than her birth, I have little proof of her existence until...well...this week. I decided to get out the camera and try to capture even a hint of her joyful and pleasant disposition.

 

I know it was a crazy first two months, Maizie Ruth, but we have really enjoyed getting to know you (already, you have such a personality) and watching you grow. Thank you for keeping me sane during our crazy move and reminding me of what is really important.

 I think they look so much alike until I compare them side by side! 

Nathan 2 months

Maizie 2 months

 

Here she grows!

MR vs PB 1 month

MR vs PB 1 wk

Maizie vs. Pooh Bear at 2 months

"MOM! Enough! This is getting rediculous." (that 'personality' coming though)

At two months you...

~sleep about 10hrs at night, waking once in the middle to eat but go right back to sleep!
~stay awake about 1.5 hrs at a time during the day (sometimes less...you love your beauty sleep).
~weigh 11 lb 14 oz (81st %ile) and are 23in long (78th %ile).
~roll over from your tummy to your back pretty consistently. The doctor didn't believe me until she put your on your tummy to examine your spine and you promptly rolled right over. That's my girl!
~smile all the time, especially at your yarn letters, the giraffe and Mommy. You laugh when you get really excited, too.
~can go to sleep at night with little or no fussing. Thank the LORD above! You were tough for the first few weeks with your screaming to the point of wheezing! But something clicked for you around 7 weeks. Thank you, sweet girl! The neighbors really appreciate it!
~sleep best with a good tight swaddle, but recently I have gone in to find a thumb in your mouth! How did that happen!? I thought for sure you would be a paci girl!
~still don't have a consistent name. Sometimes you are Maizie, sometimes Ruthie, sometimes Miri, sometimes Sissy, sometimes Miriam Ruth, and usually just Sweet Baby Girl...what are we going to do about this!? 

~LOVE your brother. You follow him with your eyes all around the room and smiled big at him the other day. He was on top of the world after that!



Speaking of Big Brother...we can't leave him out. We had a little alone time for some painting and portraits while Baby Girl was napping:

Silliness!

Bird watching out our front windows.

House Hunters: D.C. edition

So I wrote this post over a week ago, but hadn't finished posting the vacation pics and I have a thing about chronology. There have been a few improvements since the last post including a veggie and wildflower garden planted out back (thanks to a call from our neighbor asking if he could help us weed our backyard...and also thanks to Johnny's Selected Seeds, helping families, friends, and communities to feed one another by providing superior seeds, tools, information, and service since 1973). I like Johnny's. But more on that some other time.

Let me not delay this post any longer. Here is the tour of our new place.

The front. It did not come landscaped so we have had fun playing in the dirt.

As you enter, you turn to the right and this is what you see...

Kitchen (duh)

The front windows. Great for light. Not great for late night snackin.'

To the left, to the left...

As you walk into the dining room, be careful not to bump your leg on the desk. Space is limited here, folks. Gotta use what ya' got.

Dining room, hideous chandelier that isn't mine really anyway.

Kid's half of the living room (behind the sofa)

Our half which has quickly become the kids' other half.

Our new craigslist TV. Low profile, crisp picture Samsung 26" HDTV for $100. Let me know if it looks like the one you had stolen and we can work out a deal.

Now rewind: As you step in the front door, go up the stairs.

 

Our Room. The rest of the bed linens were packed in a box marked for storage. Oops.

 

itsie bitsie bathroom

  

Big Boy's Room

  

Baby Girl's Room

it's really tight in here...we are talkin' something like 7x10 at best.

Pinterest letters made by yours truly.

Crib skirt I accomplished while nesting.

Also a result of nesting.

Nathan's favorite room in the house: his basement playroom.

 

Laundry room with a DIAPER SINK!!

  

The "backyard" has been weeded since taking these pictures. Like my other craigslist buy? The $300 Bob Duallie! I am a mess when it comes to strollers right now. Perhaps we will need a posting all about the thousands you can spend on strollers for two, the good the bad and the ugly. Also, the diapers are back inside and on MR's bum. 

So that's that! Worth every penny? With a pool less than a block away, 4 neighborhood playgrounds and a golf course, putt putt course and AMAZING trail less than 1/2 mile away, I would say so.

A Bunch of Castaways

Just when I ya thought life couldn't get any crazier, you realize God has bigger things in mind. Less than a week after we moved to D.C., we left for a week long trip to Northern Minnesota. Danny's sister, Kelly, is an area director for Young Life. This year she was also a Program Director for a month at Castaway Club, one of their camps. Danny had been given the opportunity to be camp physician for a week while Kelly was up there. We jumped at the chance, since for years we had wanted to learn more about this ministry and get involved. So we loaded on a plane with our carseats and kids and carry-ons. 

Do I look like I have been up all night for four weeks?

Not so sure how that toe snuck over. And yes, that is blue nail polish.

We flew to Minneapolis, rented a "car," and drove four and a half more hours to the camp. (Side note: while it took us 45 minutes to figure out how to fit our kids and luggage into this subcompact, and we realized half way up to camp that there would be a much better way of doing this, it only took 7--SEVEN--gallons of gas to drive us 4.5 hours with the air conditioning going 100% of the time. That is impressive.)


We settled in for a week away from boxes to play in by the lake, go to Club with the campers and make sure everyone was safe and well cared-for. Danny was finally getting to enjoy the perks of the 9 years of post-grad education he had endured: keys to a golf cart and his very own walkie-talkie! And the responsibility of keeping 400 campers plus staff alive. We were all a little worried that Danny would try to check a kid's prostate, but he did a great job assessing whiplash from tubing, bandaging blisters and passing out cough drops.

Here are some of our finer moments.

Getting MR (and Mommy) to sleep!

Shouldn't someone teach that kid not to run with a loaded gun?

 

THIS is how a real man washes windows. He washed every one. Every day. 

Aunt Kelly doing her thing. There are only a few moments that fill me with more pride that this is my sister(-in-law).

Nathan wanted to get in on the games. I wish you could see his face when Daddy grabbed him.

Poor kid! And where is his Mother?! Poor Daddy had to run with BOTH kids.

oh, the possibilities!

Nap Time!

Loving our golf cart!

Nathan could have played in God's Sandbox all day. We literally stopped there before and after each meal.

This pretty much sums up my life in a photograph.

Danny doing the zip line.

Nathan getting excited for a boat ride with Daddy.

We knew he'd love it.

Just like his Daddy.

Mimicking some of the dance moves done by the entertainers. You can see the full video clip here.

There is no better place to nap than in the sand.

Nathan's first All-By-Himself Sand Castle. So proud!

With Aunt Kelly and "Crayon." Not sure how he got this name, but at least he wasn't Christmas Man or White Boy. Kelly really lucked out that she was just Aunt Kelly.

Yup. We did it. Danny and I went parasailing. It was terrifying.

We went to Mall of America before flying home. Nathan rode the Big Rigs and the Log Chute. For obvious reasons, I had to buy the picture.

It was a wonderful time together as a family, away from the craziness of moving and such. And we were so impressed by Young Life--the leaders, the philosophy,and their commitment to kids and Christ. We could see why so many campers find Young Life Camp to be the best week of their life! If you are interested in learning more about this ministry, click here.